A wide variety of implantable medical devices for delivering a therapy or monitoring a physiologic condition which may employ one or more elongated electrical leads and/or sensors have been clinically implanted or proposed for clinical implantation in patients. Such implantable medical devices may deliver therapy or monitor the heart, muscle, nerve, brain, stomach or other organs. Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), are available for arresting cardiac arrhythmias by delivering electrical impulses to the heart. Such devices sense the heart's intrinsic rhythm through cardiac leads carrying electrodes that may be implanted in the heart. When an abnormal rhythm is detected, which may be bradycardia, tachycardia or fibrillation, an appropriate electrical therapy is delivered to restore the heart's normal rhythm.
Leads associated with such implantable medical devices typically include a lead body extending between a proximal lead end and a distal lead end and incorporates one or more exposed electrode or sensor elements located at or near the distal lead end. One or more elongated electrical conductors extend through the lead body from a connector assembly provided at a proximal lead end for connection with an associated implantable medical device and an electrode located at the distal lead end or along a section of the lead body. Each electrical conductor is typically electrically isolated from any other electrical conductors and is encased within an outer sheath that electrically insulates the lead conductors from body tissue and fluids.
Implantable medical device leads may extend from a subcutaneous implantation site of the implantable medical device through an internal body pathway to a desired tissue site. The leads are generally preferred having small diameter, highly flexible, reliable lead bodies that withstand degradation by body fluids and body movements that apply stress and strain to the lead body and the connections made to electrodes. As lead bodies are made smaller and smaller and the number of lead conductors is increased or maintained, problems with lead insulation and integrity of lead conductors may become more prevalent.
Cardiac lead bodies are continuously flexed by the beating of the heart. Other stresses are applied to the lead body during an implantation or lead repositioning procedure. Movements by the patient can cause the route traversed by the lead body to be constricted or otherwise altered causing stresses on the lead body. At times, the lead can be slightly damaged during surgical implantation, and the slight damage may progress in the body environment until a lead conductor fractures and/or the insulation is breached. The effects of lead body damage may progress from an intermittent manifestation to a more continuous lead related condition. In extreme cases, insulation of one or more of the electrical conductors may be breached, causing the conductors to contact one another or with body fluids resulting in a low impedance or short circuit. In other cases, a lead conductor may fracture and exhibit an intermittent or continuous open circuit resulting in an intermittent or continuous high impedance.
Other problems can arise at the proximal lead end where the electrical connection between implantable medical device connector elements and the lead connector elements may be intermittently or continuously disrupted, resulting in a high impedance or open circuit. Usually, such connector open circuit problems result from insufficient tightening of connection mechanisms, such as a set screw, at the time of implantation followed by a gradual loosening of the connection until contact becomes intermittent or open or an incomplete lead pin insertion.
Such lead problems resulting in short or open circuits may be referred to, for simplicity, as “lead related conditions.” Typically, it is necessary for an attending clinician to diagnose the nature of a lead-related condition from available data, test routines, and patient symptoms. Then, it is necessary for the clinician to take corrective action, e.g., to either replace the lead, select different electrodes for sensing or pacing, or tighten the proximal connection. In severe cases, the lead-related condition may result in premature depletion of the battery energy of the implantable medical device, requiring its replacement.
In the case of cardiac leads, the ability to sense an intrinsic heart rhythm accurately through a lead can be impaired by any of the above described lead related conditions. Complete lead breakage impedes any sensing functions, lead conductor fractures or intermittent contact can cause electrical noise that interferes with accurate sensing. Oversensing or undersensing can occur resulting in an incorrect interpretation of the heart rhythm by a pacemaker or ICD, potentially resulting in inappropriate withholding or delivery of electrical therapy. For example, oversensing may lead to the detection of tachycardia or fibrillation resulting in the inappropriate delivery of a high voltage shock therapy. Such therapy is painful to the patient and may be experienced repeatedly if a lead related condition is not diagnosed and corrected. Such inappropriate therapies deplete the ICD battery energy prematurely and could inappropriately induce ventricular fibrillation if delivered onto the T-wave.
During cardiac pacing or defibrillation, increased impedance of the stimulation path or the short circuit of lead conductors due to one of the above-described lead related conditions can reduce the effectiveness of a pacing or shocking below that sufficient to pace or defibrillate the heart.